Digital BW, The Print

> I've always heard the "need" for sharpening explained something like, "all
> CCD scans require some kind of sharpening to compensate for the softening
> effects of scanning, it's just part of the analog to digital
> conversion, as
> optics are involved which can soften and image, and CCDs are prone to blur
> and smear."

Todd,

I thought about this a bit.  Remember, the Leafscan (which is the scanner I
have) only uses a neutral density filter for B&W scans, therefore
eliminating the smear and bloom characteristics of using red and blue
filters with CCDs.  That may be the real reason why I don't sharpen, aside
from the fact my images are shot with high quality glass, exposed and
developed for sharpness and tonality.

I've always said the Leaf will be a B&W "cult" scanner because of this
unique ability to scan B&W without using color filters... ;-)

Regards,

Austin